Life

Quintessential Races: IRONMAN Austria

This mainstay on the IRONMAN circuit celebrates 20 years as IRONMAN celebrates 40.

by Jordan Cantwell

When it comes to sport in Austria, it may surprise you to learn that IRONMAN Austria in Klagenfurt ranks in popularity alongside the famous Hahnenkamm downhill ski race in Kitzbuehl and the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix. The entire race is televised within the country, and it’s not unusual for the competitors to be interviewed mid-race for the live show.

"I sat down in transition to put on my run shoes and the next thing I knew there was a microphone in my face and a commentator asking me how my race was going!" recalls professional triathlete Sarah Piampiano, with a laugh. "This race is clearly a big deal for the country!"

This year, IRONMAN Austria will be an even bigger party as it celebrates 20th birthday later this month. Set in the picturesque town of Klagenfurt since its 1998 debut, the event has garnered a reputation for some of the most beautiful course scenery in the world. The race has also been recognized in the IRONMAN Athlete’s Choice Awards for its stunning bike course. In Piampiano’s words, the course is "jaw-droppingly stunning—the lake is this incredible aqua-marine blue color and it is surrounded by jagged peaks and mountains."

From business plan to IRONMAN

The idea for an IRONMAN event in Austria was developed by a trio of friends: Georg Hochegger, an amateur athlete who had competed in several IRONMAN races, Helge Lorenz, a student and professional triathlete, and Stefan Petschnig, a national champion in swimming.

Hochegger had noticed that the IRONMAN event in Roth, Germany was growing increasingly popular and believed that a similar event in their hometown of Klagenfurt could be just as successful. He turned to Lorenz and Petschnig for assistance and Lorenz wrote the business plan for their proposed IRONMAN event as the final thesis of his degree in marketing. The trio worked with legendary triathlete and IRONMAN Hall of Famer, Mark Allen, to design a course. Under then-president of IRONMAN Lew Friedland, who believed in their event and was key to the expansion of the brand globally, they were granted a license to host their first IRONMAN event in 1998.

The three men would go on to establish additional IRONMAN races in Austria, South Africa and Monaco and were inducted into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame in 2014.

A record-breaking course

In the intervening years since that first race in 1998, IRONMAN Austria has built a reputation as a fast course, despite a couple of steep hills on the bike leg. The swim in Lake Worthersee is typically calm, the road quality is excellent, and the run along the lake is mostly shaded and flat. The men’s course record of 7:45:58 was set by Marino Vanhoenacker (pictured above) in 2011 and stood as the fastest recorded IRONMAN time until it was broken by Lionel Sanders at IRONMAN Arizona in 2016.

On the women’s side, three-time IRONMAN world champion, Mirinda Carfrae (pictured below), holds the course record. She set her fastest IRONMAN time to date of 8:41:17 in Austria in 2016 with a 2:49:06 marathon. Two-time IRONMAN Austria champion, Linsey Corbin, also set the American female IRONMAN record there in 2014 on a day that she describes as "one I will never forget." She recalls: "I had my eye on my watch and thought to myself, you better just go for this record. I rounded the left-hand turn to the finish and I remember it like it was yesterday. 8:42:42. I did it!"

Kings and hometown heroes

As well as holding the course record, Vanhoenacker is the winningest male at Austria, laying claim to eight titles there to date, including six consecutive titles between 2006 and 2011. It’s a record that has earned the Belgian the title "King of Klagenfurt," with the Austrians claiming him as one of their own (since no Austrian male has ever taken the title).

That’s not the case on the women’s side, where three different Austrian women have been crowned at this race. 2004 Olympic gold medalist in triathlon, Kate Allen, won titles in 2003 and 2005, Eva Dollinger won in 2010, and most recently Eva Wutti earned the title in 2015 and 2017. After coming off the bike with a 20-minute deficit, the Austrian leveraged a 2:57:43 marathon to beat out British athlete Corinne Abraham by just over 90 seconds. "It was a very special win for me," shares Wutti. "The race came just 11 months after giving birth to my daughter and it was my first long distance race after maternity leave."

Ring the bell for charity

Besides the natural beauty of the race backdrop, the organizing team in Austria has developed an event that leaves participants with lasting memories. "They make it so special," Piampiano reflects, "from the evening fireworks to the celebration at the finish line with cheerleaders to the beer gardens on the run course… and not to mention the post-race hot showers!"

Corbin agrees: "The race has amazing crowd support and I love that Klagenfurt is a small city filled with cafés, gelato stands, cobblestone roads and a very lively atmosphere." The finish line hot showers are probably a blessing for race winners such as Corbin. "When I won in 2014, I was handed a giant beer at the finish line that I got to dump all over myself in celebration," she laughs. "How cool is that?"

Another unique aspect of the Klagenfurt race is ringing the bell on the run course; the event team hangs a bell near the turnaround of the run lap and every time a competitor rings the bell as they pass, a small donation is made to charity. "That’s one of my favorite parts of the race," exclaims Corbin, "when athletes jump up to ring the bell on each lap!"

As IRONMAN celebrates 40 years, many of our events are also celebrating birthdays of their own. If you're not joining us at the sold-out IRONMAN Austria this year, be sure to put it on your race bucket list. It's an experience not to be missed!